NOTE TO EDITORS: Vic Fazio will be available to meet with reporters and photographers from 1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, in Shields Library. Inquire at the Blanchard Reading Room. Amid the gray shelving and brown boxes in the special collections department of the main library at the University of California, Davis, is a chartreuse shovel that Vic Fazio used at a groundbreaking ceremony. But the former congressman has contributed much more than a splash of color by donating his political papers and memorabilia. "The acquisition of Fazio's papers is unquestionably a major coup for the library and for the research community here," says Geoffrey Wandesforde-Smith, an associate professor of political science who specializes in environmental policy. "Both because of his long service to the local region and because he became a consummate political insider in Washington," Wandesforde-Smith says, "Fazio's life and work have a lot to teach about politics in America." Fazio represented the 3rd Congressional District for 20 years, spanning four presidencies. The congresses in which he served were engaged in a broad range of domestic and foreign issues, and Fazio, who rose to a position of influence in the Democratic House leadership, helped steer the course of legislation and the internal politics of the Democratic Party. "I can think of no better place for the records of my office than UC Davis, the one campus that has been at the center of the activities of my political career," says Fazio. "I hope my papers have value both to students and researchers from far and wide who have a public policy interest." UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef says the gift of Fazio's papers is just one of the many benefits that have come from his long-standing relationship with the campus. "What Vic Fazio has done for UC Davis exceeds what any legislator has ever done," the chancellor says. "He has been an effective advocate for UC Davis and helped develop programs, build facilities and acquire funding." Fazio's gift -- 300 boxes of papers and other miscellaneous items -- constitutes the university's first collection from a member of Congress. Too, it makes an important contribution to the growing body of other collections that help tell the story of the Central Valley. "He had such a distinguished career and the papers that document it are correspondingly important," says Clinton Howard, associate university librarian for collections and technical services. "We have collections in a number of areas that might seem unrelated," Howard says, "but taken together, one of the things they do for us is document the history of the Central Valley -- its pollution, its ecosystem, its economy. "What we're looking for in Fazio's papers is the raw material -- the primary material -- for understanding how thinking developed on these issues," he adds. "Fazio's papers will help the public understand how research science becomes policy," says Robert Flocchini, acting director of the university's John Muir Institute for the Environment and professor of land, air and water resources. "He had such an important part in shaping federal policy on agriculture and the environment." Fazio's collection includes: • hundreds of files on such issues as the Auburn Dam, the closure of Air Force bases and energy policy; • more than 30,000 letters written by constituents since 1990; • district briefing books; • videotapes used in presentations to Fazio; • audiotapes of his speeches; • and several boxes of plaques and photographs. John Skarstad, head of special collections, says Fazio's papers, like other collections, will be used by academics, graduate students, local historians, geographers, biographers and lawyers. The general public also has access to special collections. While the UC Davis library is internationally known for its collections in agricultural technology and viticulture and enology, the university continues to build impressive collections related to the development of the Central Valley. They include the collections of Gary Snyder, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and UC Davis faculty member; Nikola Prokopovich, who was an engineer with the Central Valley Project; and Henry Dart Greene, a UC Davis alumnus who helped build public support for the Feather River Dam; as well as the archives of the California Canners & Growers and the San Joaquin ranching partnership of Miller & Lux Inc. Donated collections, Howard says, play a significant role in making unique material available to the public for academic research and other uses. Important in itself, he adds, Fazio's collection also may prompt other political figures to donate their papers.